Radiator-pipe pliers



Jem.` 16, i923. 11,442,486

F. L. LOOKE. Y RADIATOR P|PE PmERsy FILED OCT, 18.1921.

Patented dan, 16, 1923.

FRANK Il. LOOKE, OF BRUSETT, IMONTANA.

RADIATOR-PIPE PLIERS.

Application filed October 18, v1921'. Serial No. 508,438.

T 0 all wkom'z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK L. Looks, citizen of the United States, residin at Brusett, in the county of Gariield and tate of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radiator -Pipe Pliers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pliers and has as one of its principal objects to provide a device of this character particularly adapted for use in repairing the radiator tubes of Ford motor vehicles.

rlhe invention has as a further object to provide a devicel of this character whereby the pliers may be readily inserted between the ns of the radiator without likelihood of injury to or displacement of said fins.

And the invention-has as a still further object to .provide graduations upon the pliers whereby the pliers may be readily positioned from either the front or back of the radiator to engage a particular tube.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the manner in which my improved pliers are employed, a portion of a Ford radiator being conventionally shown in horizontal section, and

Figure .2 is a perspective view of the pliers.

As is well known, owners of Ford motor vehicles often experience considerable trouble and expense owing to the extreme diiiiculty in repairing leaky radiator tubes, caused through bursting of said tubes by freezing of the water therein or from other reasons. Accordingly, l seek to overcome this diculty by providing a tool which may be conveniently and easily manipulated for operating upon any one of the tubes damaged. ln carrying the invention intoA eifect, l employ companion crossed levers formed to provide oppositely curved operating handles 10 pivoted at their point of intersection by means of any suitable pivot element 11 and formed on said levers at their forward ends are elongated jaw shanks 12 which lie in a plane common to both thereof. These jaw shanks are flat and relatively thin, being provided with fiat smooth faces and being tapered in width and thickness to permit of ready insertion of the Shanks between the ins et a radiator, it being observed in this connection that the pivot element 11 is disposed at substantially a right angle to the flat faces of the jaws. rlhe outer terminals of the shanksare slightly flared and are curved inwardly toward each other to provideconfronting gripping jaws 13 adapted to abut in mating relation. Formed in each of the jaws is a semi-circular recess 14, these recesses, when the jaws are brought together, serving to define a circular opening, which opening is of an internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of a Ford radiator tube to thus snugly receive such a tube. Arranged upon the upper sides of the jaw shanks are corresponding longitudinally spaced graduation marks 15, 16 and 17, respectively.

In Figure 1 of the drawing, l have illustrated my improved pliers in connection with a Ford radiator, conventionally shown at 18. In this gure, l have shown the jaws 13 of the pliers engaged about one of the tubes in the front row of tubes of the radiator, said jaws being disposed at opposite sides of the tube and meeting in abutting relation. Since, as previously intimated, the circular opening deiined by the recesses 14 in the jaws is of an internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the tube, a tube which, for instance, has burst due to freezing of the water therein, will thus, when the jaws are brought together as shown, be pressed back into its original shape. Further, in this connection, it is to be particularly noted that pressure may be exerted upon the jaws of the pliers without fear of crushing the wall of the tube inwardly beyond the proper point. For properly positioning the pliers to engage the different tubes of the radiator from either the front or rear thereof, l provide the graduations upon the jaw Shanks. For instance, as will be observed by reference to Figure 1, by alining the graduation marks 15 with the front edge of the adjacent one of the fins of the radiator, the jaws 13 will be disposed to reach the tubes of the front row of tubes as just described. Should it be desired to operate upon the next row of tubes, the graduation marks 1G are alined with the front edge of the lin, the jaw shanks being spaced apart so as to straddle any one of the tubes in the front row, or when the device is used to operate upon the third row of tubes, to straddle alined tubes in the first and second rows. As will be appreciated,

by onnngthejaw Shanks and jaws Vfietsend.

thin the pliers may be readily#insertedl between the fins of the radiator Whilejor greater Convenience l have found it piefeifable, instead of insertingtheiliers'entirely through a radiator from one sideto the other, to operate upon three rou's of' tilbes from one side and tworows from the other side, o1' Vice versa.

Having thus described the invention,-What isolailned as newy is:

A tool ofthe ljlrai'aotei' deseiibed ineluding` pivotally fonnet'edileveis pi'oYided with` jaw shanksterminating in: coaoting jaws gage @predetermined tube of the radiator.'

` ,In4 testimony whereof I" afxy my signature l y FRANKL. LOCKE. [11. s] 

